When laying a cable or a pipeline offshore the cable or pipeline may be spooled off a reel or drum and lowered into the water through the above disclosed apparatus. During the unwinding the elongated article will move bodily in a direction perpendicular to the unwinding or laying out direction of the elongated article as a consequence of the article being wound on the reel in a plurality of windings and in consecutive layers. This deviation from the laying line may be overcome by providing a substantial distance between the reel and the apparatus and/or by providing guide means for guiding the elongated article down into the apparatus.